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City of Wonder Brings Civilizations Out of the Dark Ages

City of Wonder has the potential to topple other civilization sims and give Frontierville a run for its money by bringing culture and science to the masses through fun and innovative game play.

Players start with a small plot of land and a few houses and must build and grow from a backwater civilization and into a modern Mecca of technology and science. They begin with the basics: a few houses, a farm and some decorations.

As the population grows, they gain access to more buildings such as farms, markets, shrines, etc. Much of this comes about through research into the sciences and technology and making “discoveries.” For example, researching writing, players gain access to a scribe or by researching pottery, the city earns the ability to build a kiln. All of this adds to the happiness and culture of the kingdom.

Legends are famous scientists, mathematicians and artists that players can purchase and collect. These legends provide special one-time bonuses to players such as decreasing research time and increasing market output. Legends can also be collected and once a collection has been completed, the player earns bonus money and experience.

By level 5, you progress to the Bronze Age and a small parade fills the streets and players gain access to expeditions. These are trips to other kingdoms to trade, war or an exchange of culture. The game has three advisors that will give their opinion on whether the kingdom has any worth to you from those perspectives. Trade will earn gold, a war earns population and the cultural exchange earns experience.

Friends and allies play a big role in the growth and expansion of your kingdom. Players begin with a small plot of land, which can quickly fill up with buildings and roadways. In order to expand your borders, players must have a certain number of allies/ friends.

Players also have the ability to create embassies on friend’s kingdoms and visit them daily for a little extra cash and vice versa.

The sky seems to be the limit for City of Wonder. The has all the civilization capabilities of games like Legacy of Rome, but adds subtle elements such as scientific research and randomly generated “events” that you must help friends deal with.

City of Wonder is the civilization sim that Facebook has been yearning for. It incorporates all the aspects of some of the social media giant’s best games like Farmville and Frontierville and creates a unique gaming experience reminiscent of PC games like Civilization. There are a good variety of items available to build and building and research times are comparable to other games.

While I tried hard to think of something bad about the game, I was hard pressed. I would like to see more interaction between kingdoms and maybe less dependence on friends for expansion. Maybe at least, since many players don’t start out with allies.

City of Wonder sets the bar high and will continue to expand and upgrade in the coming weeks and months. For a fledgling game, it has a solid beginning and the foundation to be a leader.